Salmon, fireworks get rave reviews

The 42nd Annual World's Largest Salmon Barbecue avoided both long lines and dry fish while serving 2,347 paid meals in sunny, warm weather on Saturday in Noyo Harbor.

Commercial and recreational fishermen are having their best years in perhaps a decade. Attendance was flat at the barbecue but ratings of the pink fish, beer, hot dog and wine sales looked great. There were no arrests or displays of intoxication. Everything was so perfect it was time for a controversy.

Commercial fisherman Donald Gomez had a blast and volunteered at the barbecue. He also briefly joined an informational sit down "picket" set up out front by fellow Noyo Harbor fisherman Chris Iversen.

Iversen's sign welcomed people to the barbecue and identified him as a Noyo Harbor fisherman.

"We local trollers catch some of the finest salmon in the world. It is not being served here today. Could you please ask why?" Iversen's sign said.

Gomez sees a win-win in the situation for Fort Bragg.

"This is a fantastic event that makes a lot of people happy and brings a load of business to Fort Bragg. But I understand what they are saying too. We should promote local fish. I'm sure there is a way to build a bridge here and I'm willing to help if I can," Gomez said.

Although one had to squint to read the handwritten sign, many ticket buyers stopped and talked to Iversen, captain of the Ace Hi. There was also Gomez and Wally Shattuck, whose vessel is the Sharon, another historic fishing boat restored by Makela Boat Works, which is located adjacent to the barbecue grounds.

"When I was sitting there, I told them to support local fish but also to go into the event and have a great time," said Gomez.

Gomez is very proud of his nearly renovated boat, the Julie Ann, which he recently purchased in dying condition, it having last been used by legendary Noyo Harbor fisherman "Lumpy" Escola. The boat was made at the Genoa Boat Works in San Francisco in 1925.

"It was the 850th registered vessel in California," Gomez said.

Salmon served was once local

The Salmon Restoration Association's World's Largest Salmon Barbecue was started by commercial fishermen in 1971. Local fishers once provided the fish for the event.

But as fishing got more restricted and less lucrative (and the event grew) was turned over to recreational fishermen, retirees and community boosters. Salmon fishing was closed one year and severely curtailed, leaving no local fish to buy.

Now the fishing industry is having its best season in a decade and the opportunity is there to actually buy local fish that could be served at $30 for a big plate-full. Keith Olson, another local commercial fisherman who was enjoying the barbecue with his family, also offered to help work out things between a great event and a refreshed fishing industry.

Jim Martin, vice president of the Salmon Restoration Association, talked to Iversen and felt hopeful the complex issue can be resolved.

One thing the SRA and fishermen could work on together is asking for commercial fishing season dates that would allow the fish to be purchased for the barbecue, Martin said.

After talking to Martin, Iversen took down his sign and went home, saying he had made a day of it.

The SRA has asked fishermen to get involved and join the board to help guide the effort, but until this year the fishermen and women were hamstrung by the inability to make a living at salmon fishing. Hopefully, now that can change, SRA board members said.

Some of the criticism in the past has been disingenuous, such as an attack on the use of salmon from Alaska in the Bay Area media during a time when none of the fish was available from the entire state of California.

Only wild-caught salmon served

The SRA always buys its fish from Caito Fisheries, a local business. Competition among fish buyers is intense at times but the SRA needs to lock in its ton of salmon early enough and at a price where they can make money on the pricey pink fish.

SRA President Joe Janisch said the current policy is to buy from Caito only wild caught fish in order to support the commercial fishing industry. The hope expressed by several is that king salmon caught by local boats can be given priority.

This year the salmon came from Caito as usual fish that was caught in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and delivered to Noyo Harbor.

Defining what is a locally caught fish is somewhat tricky. The entire commercial fishing fleet roams to where the fish are being caught to some extent, so that Noyo Harbor-based boats likely participated in the catch in the Pacific Northwest. And when the salmon are best off Fort Bragg, boats will travel south and berth in Noyo.

Return visitors

The lines at the event were never long, although the attendance was pretty much the same as it has been the past three years. Attendance was 2,373 adults in 2012 and 2,284 adult tickets in 2011.

The salmon was hotter and rarely dry because board member Martin set up a method for salmon to go directly from grill to plate without time in a long-used warmer.

Eighteen-month-old Sebastian Pool danced with both fists in the air to the Groovinators, bringing photographers and cheers from the crowd.

"His mom and I both have music in us," said his dad, Bennett Pool.

Erica, Bennett and Sebastian came from Redwood Valley for the barbecue and managed to have fun in sun that lasted all day. Past years have been hit with fog at some point during the day. This year it was sunny and warm, but never hot due to mild breezes.

Mark Welther, the brand new president and CEO of Redwood Forest Foundation Inc. (RFFI), heard that the barbecue was a good place to meet important people and get a real flavor for Fort Bragg.

Congressman Jared Huffman, supervisors Dan Hamburg and John McCowen, Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner, Publisher Sharon DiMauro, Skunk Chief Robert Pinoli and RFFI board member Kendall Smith were among those flipping fish. Having "celebrity chefs" like supervisors, judges and council members was the idea of the fishermen who started the barbecue as a way of getting local civic figures down into the harbor where they can see and hear about the plight of fish and fishing.

Welther helped run Huffman's election campaign.

"This event is terrific, great food, music and what a great day," Welther said.

RFFI, which practices environmentally friendly logging as well as preservation on a giant forest in the Usal area, is one of the organizations SRA has funded in the past, for a salmon survey on streams in the northern end of the county.

The event is run entirely by community volunteers and through the generosity of local businesses. The Ukiah Rod and Gun Club, Fort Bragg Rotary Club, the Fort Bragg Soroptimist Club and the Fort Bragg Knights of Columbus are among those.

There were some new players as well as many old players at the table this year.

"We need to sincerely thank North Coast Brewing Company, Harvest Market, Fort Bragg Bakery, Sean Leland State Farm Insurance and Bare Foot Winery because they all donate food or drink or both for the barbecue," said Janisch.

Tyrone Molina, 50, lived here for 45 years and has done fishing, logging and, like many coast residents, a little of everything to stay in what they think of as paradise.

"I enjoy the music, the atmosphere, the people. I see people every year I haven't seen in a long time," Molina said.

Local businessman Tony Canclini sees the event as nothing but win-win.

"This is great for the economy and provides a badly needed boost to local business. Plus it is delicious," he said.

Of 22 people interviewed at random, six were from the coast and the rest from inland areas.

Tom Henry and his wife, Xinyi, were incredibly happy to be eating salmon in cool weather. "This is the second time for me and the first for my wife. The fish is excellent this year," he said.

What's the best thing about the event?

"Citrus Heights was 111 degrees when we left. What do you think? ... But this is really a great event we will be back," he said.

The SRA uses all the money raised to fund salmon restoration and education programs. There are no paid employees, except during the setup and cleanup on the day after the event. The SRA has held public meetings on its mission and gotten a lot of input. But those who made suggestions were too busy to help make ideas work. The SRA is willing to hold public meetings again.

The SRA has been resolute in not only refusing to ever buy farmed salmon, it has opposed salmon farming in the ocean, as well as the introduction of genetically modified salmon. The public has sometimes spread rumors about a non-existent difference between frozen and "fresh" salmon. All commercial salmon comes into all docks frozen, as commercial fishermen must freeze fish they catch. Even fish caught by local anglers is frozen for safety purposes at any public event.